Hoodie - A wing flap

[Miguel Palaviccini]

Yep ... another hoodie :). I got a chance to head back to the local pond yesterday afternoon. I was after a Lesser Scaup, which had found itself among a group of Hoodies. Can't say that I captured any keeper images of the Scaup, but I did manage this shot. I was out there for about an hour, and this is the third click of the day. The rest of the afternoon was filled with a lot of swimming and resting. Guess I arrived and set up just in time! I had an overcast day, which allowed me to not blow the whites and keep detail in the blacks. However, I feel it also leaves me with a more "dull" appearance.

I am getting more and more comfortable with the 500 + 2x. The autofocus with the D800 is stunning (well, at least compared to the D300s and the same combo). I find that stopped down 1/3 - 2/3 of a stop makes a bit of difference in sharpness, although its noticeably less sharp than with the 1.4x wide open. Shooting at ISO 3200 seems to be great too, as long as the exposure is correct.

In post, I had to add a bit of room in front of the Hoodie. I ended up mirroring the area behind the hoodie, putting it in front, and then using the clone stamp tool to make the merge a bit smoother. I did my best to get rid of the light brown vertical streak, but I think it's still apparent a bit. Would like to hear what you guys thing, and how you may have tackled this a bit differently (I'll post the original composition in a bit). My new go-to for the bg is to apply Tonal Contrast from Nik and bring the sliders down a bit. It really smooths the bg, and I think it does it in a natural way. I apply a mask on the subject, allowing the effect to only be applied to the bg. That tip I got here on BPN :)

Shooting Info:
Nikon D800 | 500 f/4 + 2x in DX mode
1/1250" | f/9 | ISO 3200

[Miguel Palaviccini]

The Original SOOC image.

[Dave Leroy]

Thanks for posting the original. I am having a hard time seeing any evidence of the added material. It may show up on a print or larger file or better eyes but I can't see anything. Good job on the exposure and lovely pose. I do wonder if a bit of detail could be drawn out of the dark neck area. Very well done for the third click of the day.

[christopher galeski]

very nice capture,love the pose,some nice detail.thanks.

[Bill Dix]

Wonderful pose, Miguel. He performed nicely for you, and you were there to catch it. Great job on the PP work -- I wouldn't have known. I could have imagined him moved even further to the right, but can see that this would have been really tough. Thanks for posting the SOC image.

[laurie golden]

Thanks for all the info on processing and your opinion of the ISO on the D800. He does not look "dull" to me, great pose and I would have added canvas similar to the way you did it.

I do not understand how you and others are getting such great photos using ISO 3200, I don't like mine (also D800) at ISO 800.

[Miguel Palaviccini]

Thanks for all the info on processing and your opinion of the ISO on the D800. He does not look "dull" to me, great pose and I would have added canvas similar to the way you did it.

I do not understand how you and others are getting such great photos using ISO 3200, I don't like mine (also D800) at ISO 800.

Hi Lorie - I've found that exposing correctly makes a world of difference. If you have to use post production to bring out too many details, you will also bring out some a lot of the noise. Also, knowing how to reduce the noise in post is always useful.

Feel free to send me a PM and I can see what you aren't happy with about your D800. I'm not an expert, but I'll do my best. There are others on here that also use the D800 and have some stunning results (IMO, better than mine).

[Miguel Palaviccini]

Wonderful pose, Miguel. He performed nicely for you, and you were there to catch it. Great job on the PP work -- I wouldn't have known. I could have imagined him moved even further to the right, but can see that this would have been really tough. Thanks for posting the SOC image.

Thanks Bill. I agree and originally I had him a bit more to the right, but I wanted to make sure I left a bit of room for his tail too. Also, adding more room to the left would have been tough - at least for me.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Miguel, great wing position for the wing flap, so well timed there. The overcast weather certainly did help you with the exposure - looks great, and looking at your original, your pp work has paid off to produce a great result. The added canvas looks fine, no evidence of a join.

[Nick Palmieri]

Great wing flap. Very nice job on the details in post processing. Beautiful job!!

[Alan Murphy]

This came out great. Only wish for a lower shooting angle.

[gail bisson]

Your PP work is great especially on the circular wake.
I would blend the top third of the seam just a bit more for perfection.
I like the exposure on the blacks and whites.
Great pose as well.
I see a hint of noise on the near wing and would selectively do a tiny little bit of NR there.
Well done on a great shot,
gail

[dankearl]

Nice Miguel and the SS and Iso looks perfect to me.
I use iso 1000 as a base Iso with the D800, 3200 is not a stretch as you have clearly shown here.
It looks great.
If you print this, you will never notice the high ISO at all.

[Robert Holguin]

Excellent shot!!
Terrific pose, exposed very well, and nice details.
Your PP work is top notch.
Very well done.

[Frank Schauf]

Very nice scene and colors.

[Karl Egressy]

Nice flapping pose and nice PP. work, Miguel.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Great shot and good PP work. Mainly becasue you raised it I would consider adding a few more ripples to the water on the left side at a hight just above wing height, this would keep in in keeping with the RHS. Lovely timing and a very pleasing pose.